European wanting to live temporarily in Canada

[blubster]

Hello everybody. Im a 27 yrs old male from Portugal living in Ireland since 2008. I hold an European portuguese passport. I recently visited Toronto and really enjoyed it! I came back to Ireland feeling like trying out Canada to live maybe for a year or two and see how I get on. I have a bachelors of science in Nursing and I work in a operating room since 2009. I figured I can apply under the FSW scheme. Unfortunately they're not accepting any apps for FSW at the mom and even if they did the process seems to take too long. Also I wouldn't really be interested in asking for a PR for now. Would just really like to be in Toronto for a while with the possibility of extending my stay on a yearly basis in case I'm enjoying it. I then looked at the working holiday scheme but its not available for portuguese citizens. Is there any way that I could get a temporary residence and work permit so I can try canada for a while? I wouldn't mind studying (and then could apply for a study permit) as some collegues offer good Operating Room courses that would be a good asset for me but I'm not rich so I would still need to work on something to support myself. The courses take 6 months and from what I understood on a study permit you can only work 20 hours a week. This doesn t seem like a good option unless after those 6 months of course I could extend my stay. I would like to carry on working as a nurse but if have to start doing something else for a little while wouldn't mind. Could somebody help figure out what the best option for me? I'm so confused. Thanks in advance for your help guys.

 

[scylla]

If you're not interested in a longer course (i.e. 2-3 years), then your best bet is probably to find an employer in Canada who is willing to hire you. That employer will then have to obtain an approved LMO (labour market opinion). With the job offer and approved LMO you can then apply for a work permit. The difficult part is finding an employer who is willing to obtain an LMO. To get an approved LMO, the employer must prove they advertised the job and were unable to find a Canadian to fill the role. The process takes time and there's no guarantee the LMO will be approved. For this reason, many employers simply aren't willing to consider foreign candidates.

Also, if you want to work as a nurse in Canada, I'm quite certain that you won't be able to do so with your current qualifications. You'll need to be certified first as a nurse in Canada (take an exam, possibly courses).

To address some of the questions in your message, if you take a six month course, you will NOT be able to work 20 hours a week while you are studying. Working 20 hours a week is only allowed if you are here on an study permit and you're not allowed to work off campus for the first six months of your studies. And no, if you were to come here and study for six months, this will not allow you to work afterwards. (You'll still need a job offer, approved LMO and work permit.)

Long story short, there's really no easy / fast route. Looking for an employer is probably the way you should go. However it won't be easy. Good luck - hope this helps.